Pacific Beach residents throw party for police, firefighters

MISSION BAY PARK  San Diego Police Department Capt. Al Guaderrama experienced an annual Pacific Beach tradition for the first time Wednesday afternoon, and he came away more than impressed.

Guaderrama, in his first year as captain of the department’s Northern Division, was among about 150 people on hand for the 31st annual Police and Emergency Services Appreciation Night, an event that has been sponsored by the Pacific Beach Town Council since 1981.

“It’s actually overwhelming,” Guaderrama said. “What the community does and how it works with the police department, it’s unbelievable.”

Officers, including Chief William Lansdowne, and firefighters mingled with members of the community and ate hamburgers, hot dogs and yellowtail fish during the two-plus-hour barbecue at the Crown Point Rotary Pavilion in Mission Bay Park. Guaderrama, who used to captain the department’s Southern Division, said he has never experienced a similar event. He added that the appreciation meant a lot to him and his fellow officers.

“They really do care about us and what we do in the community,” he said. “And it’s vice versa.”

The tradition started three decades ago when Pacific Beach Town Council secretary Mary Wilding and others decided to start an end-of-summer event to celebrate the completion of tourist season and thank those who helped make it a success, according to Pacific Beach Planning Group member Eve Anderson.

Wilding’s son, Joe, is now the president of Pacific Beach Town Council.

“It’s just a good way to say thanks to the cops,” Joe Wilding said. “It can be a thankless job sometimes.”